Ranger
You travel to places were few others dare to tread. Relying on a potent combination of stealth, woodcraft, magic, and fighting skill, you are the master of the wilderness. Where others see a trackless forest, you see an impenetrable refuge. Where others see a burning desert, you see a deadly trap for enemies you lure within. Where others see impassable mountains, you see high roads to new lands. You are the ultimate explorer, self-reliant and adaptable. No other Adventurer comes close to your independence and sheer versatility Suggested Backgrounds (Choose one): Drifter, Farm Hand, Mariner, Soldier, Tribal Origin Suggested Personality Archetypes (Choose one): Agent, Explorer, Orphan, Rebel, Renegade, Savage, Seeker, Wanderer Alightment: Any Hit Die: D8 The Ranger The forests and hills are home to fierce and cunning creatures, such as blood-thirsty owlbears and malicious displacer beasts. But more cunning and powerful than these monsters is the ranger, a skilled hunter and stalker. He knows the woods as if they were his home (as indeed they are), and he knows his prey in deadly detail. Adventures A Ranger often accepts the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. In addition a ranger carries grudges against certain types of creatures and looks for opportunities to find and destroy them. He may also adventure for all the reasons that a fighter does. Characteristics A ranger can use a variety of weapons and is quite capable in combat. His skills allow him to survive in the wilderness, to find his prey, and to avoid detection. He also has special knowledge about certain types of creatures, which makes it easier for him to find and defeat such foes. Finally, an experienced ranger has such a tie to nature that he can actually draw upon natural power to caste divine spells much as a druid does. Alignment Rangers can be of any alignment. Most are good, and such rangers usually function as protectors of the wild areas. In this role, a ranger seeks out and destroys or drives off evil creatures that threaten the wilderness. Good rangers also protect those who travel through the wilderness, serving sometimes as guides and sometimes as unseen guardians. Most rangers are also chaotic, prefering to follow the ebb and flow of nature or of their own hearts instead of rigid rules. Evil rangers, though rare, are much to be feared. They revel in natures thoughtless cruelty and seek to emulate her most fearsom predators. They gain divine spells just as good rangers do, for nature herself is indifferent to good and evil. Religion Though a ranger gains his divine spells from the power of nature, he like anyone else may worship a chosen deity. Ehlonna (goddess of the woodlands) and Obad-Hai (god of nature) are the most common deities revered by rangers, though some prefer more martial dieties. Note on Deities In the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, Ehlonna and Obad-Hai are both replaced in the Faerunian Pantheon. Ehlonna is replaced with Mielikki, and Obad-Hai is replaced with Silvanus Background Some rangers gained their training as part of a special military teams, but most learned their skills from solitary masters who accepted them as students and assistants. The rangers of a particular master may cound themselves as cohorts or they may be rivals for the status of best student and thus rightful heir to their master's fame. Races Elves often choose the ranger's path. They are at home in the woods and they have the grace to move stealthily. Half-elves who feel their elf parent's connection to the woods are also likely to adopt this class. Humans are often rangers as well, being adaptable enough to learn their way around the woods even if it doesnt come naturally to them. Half-orcs may find the ranger's life more comfortable than life among cruel and taunting humans (or orcs). Gnome rangers are more common than gnome fighters, but they still tend to remain in their own lands rather than adventuring among "the big people." Dwarf rangers are rare, but they can be quite effective. Instead of living in the surface wilderness, they are at home in the endless caverns beneath the earth. Here they hunt down and destroy the enemies of dwarvenkind with the relentless precision for which dwarves are known. Dwarf rangers are often known as cavers. Halfling rangers are highly respected for their ability to help communities of halflings prosper as they pursue their nomadic lifestyle. Among the savage humanoids, only gnolls are commonly rangers, using their skills to slyly stalk their prey. Classes Rangers get along well with druids and to some extent with barbarians. They are known to bicker with paladins, mostly because they share goals but differ in style, tactics, approach, philosophy, and esthetics. Since rangers don't often look for other people for support or friendship, they find it easy to tolerate people who are quite different from themselves, such as bookish wizards and preachy clerics. They just don't care enough to get upset about others' differences. Role The ranger's best role is that of a scout and secondary combatant. Without the heavy armor of the fighter or the staying power of the barbarian, the ranger should focus on opportunistic and ranged attacks. Most rangers use the animal companions as sentries, scouts, or to assist them in melee combat. Character Themes One or more of the folllowing character themes could apply to you. Bounty Hunter Unlike other rangers, you are equally at ease in the wilderness or in the cities and towns of human kind. You hone your woodcraft and tracking skills to use them against other people instead of forest-dwelling monsters. You might be a cold-hearted mercenary, an intrepid tracker, or even an outlaw or highwayman who uses woodcraft to get close to your quarry. For you, the lore of the wilderness is a tool that you employ for your particular ends. Your choice of favored enemy makes you more effective attracking (and defeating) particular quarries, so choose wisely. It's not unusual, for a bounty hunter to choose his own race as a favored enemy--not because your a misanthropic killer, but simply because you want to be especially good at following villains who happen to be of your race through the wilderness. Keep a record of each quarry you stalk over the course of your career, and preferably a trophy or souvenir from each success. Show off your trophies and boast a little about your victories when you have the chance. You want word to get around about who you are and what you do, so that villains who find you on their trail will be more likely to panic, slip up, and make a fatal mistake. "The price is 100 gold--no less, no more." "Only one bounty has ever escaped me--so far. I keep a constant eye out, just in case." Driven Avenger When you were a child, your town was burned to the ground by orcs, or displacer beasts devoured your family, or a dragon hunted your tribe to extinction. Whatever the tragedy, you have been left with an endless thirst for vengeance against the monster or monsters that ruined your life. The monsters responsible for your loss are at the top of your list of favored enemies. Your back-story prominently features a track loss at the hands, claws, talons, or fangs of these monsters. Create a suitable tale of woe and suffering and write it down--you'll tell it over and over again to anyone who asks. In any situatin or challenge you confront, look for signs that your mortal enemies are somehow involved. For example, if drow enslaved you village you should suspect drow invlvement in almost any problem you encounter. "The drow ae behind this. You'll see." "Only drow attack with such precision." "I didn't like the way that innkeeper was watching us. I bet he's secretly in league with the drow, spying on us for them!" "The only good drow is a dead drow." Master of Beasts You have allies everywhere you go. The birds and beasts are your friends and even thefiercest creatures suffer your presence. While your animal companions do not help you in battle like the druid's help her, you value them for more than their fighting skill. Animals give you senses that you otherwise would not possess, allow you to keep watch over vast areas without being seen, and can carry messages over great distances. Avoid fighting naturally occuring animals if possible. Instead of killing a cave-dwelling brown bear in your path, see if you can lure it away from its lair or merely frighten it off. Sometimes you have to resort to lethal methods to fight off dangerous animals, but there is no honor in such a battle; you should help your companions to avoid encounters of this sort instead of killing animals that are only acting as their nature dictates It's not unusual for a ranger of this sort to be uncomfortable around other people. Keep your thoughts to yourself, and dont use two words when one will do. People are cruel and deceitful, but you can always trust an animal to act in accordance with its nature. When you have to interact with humanoids, stay short and to the point, and speak bluntly. When you can, use animal metaphors to make your point. "If you hope to catch Drethaas, you must run like the deer all day and through the night. Can you keep up with me?" "The ogre is licking its wounds in its den. Now we can finish the monster." "We have his scent now. He won't get away." "I have the eyes of an eagle. No orc will pass by this place unseen." Wayfinder You live for the opportunity to tred new lands and see things no one has seen before. You measure yourself against the raw power of nature by crossing unfordable rivers, climing impassable mountains, and mastering uncrossable deserts. The lure of treasure and the challenge of fearsome foes serve only as excuses for you to head out on your next journey. Before you die, you want to see more of the world than anyone before you has seen. You are relentless and uneasy in times of idleness. You chafe at long delays, because when you're waiting for something to happen you're stuck in one spot. Urge your companions to push on another mile, venture into just one more room, or at least give you a chance to scout just over the next hill before stopping for the night. Keep a journal of your travels, notin the weather, the creatures you encountered, the places you visited, andthe spot where you camped for each night. Overland travel is your special area of expertise, so make sure you voice your opinion when the party debates the question of how to move from one place to another. If your friends are wise, they'll listen to you. Because you are widely traveled and interested in a variety of things, you naturally relate new experiences to things you've seen or done before. "This cave's a little bit like that second chamber in the Caverns of Creeping Shadows. You remember, the one with the weird green-glowing fungus-bulls and the gricks? Do you think we might find gricks here too?" "Let's find a safer place to cross. In my experience, this is just the sourt of mountain stream that will batter you to pieces and carry you over a waterfall if you fall in. I don't want to have to go looking for your body." "This desert's got nothing on the Anvil of Searing Pain. Now ''that ''was a desert." "Careful! I'll bet you these orcs are headhunters, like those Blood Moon warriors we ran into a few months back. Look they've got kukris just like those blood moon orcs." Game Rule Information Abilities Dexterity is important for a ranger both because he tends to wear light armor and because several ranger skills are based on that ability. Strength is important because rangers frequently get involved in combat. Several ranger skills are based on Wisdom, and a Wisdom score of 14 or higher is required to get access to the most powerful ranger spells. A wisdom score of 11 or higher is required to cast any ranger spells at all. One of the ranger's trademark skills, his ability to track foes, is based on Wisdom. Class Skills The ranger's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (Geography) (Int), Knowledge (Nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Rope (Dex) Skill Points At first Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4 Each Additional Level: 6 + Int Modifier Class Features Weapon and Armor Proficiency: '''A ranger is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with light armor and shields (except tower shields). '''Favored Enemy (Ex): '''At 1st level, a ranger may select a type of creature from among those given on the following table. Due to his extensive study of his chosen type of foe and training in the proper techniques for combating such creatures, the ranger gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against creatures of this type. Likewise, he gets a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against such creatures. At 5th level and every five levels thereafter (10th, 15th, and 20th level), the ranger may select an additional favored enemy from those given on the table. In addition, at each such interval, the bonus against any one favored enemy (including the one just selected, if so desired) increases by 2. For example, a 5th-level ranger has two favored enemies; against one he gains a +4 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks and weapon damage rolls, and against the other he has a +2 bonus. At 10th level, he has three favored enemies, and he gains an additional +2 bonus, which he can allocate to the bonus against any one of his three favored enemies. Thus, his bonuses could be either +4, +4, +2 or +6, +2, +2. If the ranger chooses humanoids or outsiders as a favored enemy, he must also choose an associated subtype as indicated on the table. If a specific creature falls into more than one category of favored enemy (for instance, devils are both evil outsiders and lawful outsiders), the ranger's bonuses do not stacy. He simply uses whichever bonus is higher. '''Track: '''A ranger gains Track as a bonus feat '''Wild Empathy (Ex): '''A ranger can use body language, vocalizations, and demeanor to improve the attidude of an animal, such as a bear or a monitor lizard). This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. The ranger rolls 1d20 and adds his ranger level and Charisma bonus to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attidude of indifferent, while the wild animals are usually unfriendly. To use wild empathy, the ranger and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal visibility conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but, as with incluencing people, it might take more or less time. The ranger can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an intelligence score of 1 or 2 (such as a basilisk or a girallon), but he takes a -4 penalty on the check. '''Combat Style (Ex): '''At 2nd level, a ranger must select one of two combat styles to pursue: archery or two-weapon combat. This choice affects the character's class features but does not restrict his selection of feats or special abilities in any way. If the ranger selects archery, he is treated as having the Rapid Shot feat, even if he does not have the normal prerequisites for that feat. If the ranger selects two-weapon combat, he is treated as having the Two-Weapon Fighting feat. Even if he does not have the normal prerequisits for that feat. The benefits of the ranger's chosen style apply only when he wears light or no armor. He loses all benefits of his combat style when wearing medium or heavy armor. '''Endurance: '''A ranger gains Endurance as a bonus feat at 3rd level. '''Animal Companion (Ex): '''At 4th level, a ranger gains an animal companion selected from the following list: badger, camel, dire rat, dog, riding dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, pony, snake (small or medium viper), or wolf. If the DM's campain takes place wholly or partly in an aquatic enviornment, the DM may add the following creatures to the ranger's list of options: crocodile, porpoise, medium shark, and squid. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the ranger on his adventures as appropriate for its kind. (For instance, an aquatic creature can't adventure with a ranger on land and shouldn't be selected by a nonaquatic character without extenuating circumstances). In most cases the animal companion functions as a mount, sentry, scout, or hunting animal rather than as a protector. This ability functions like the druid ability of the same name, excpet that the ranger's effecting druit level, is one-half his ranger level. For example, the animal companion of a 5th level ranger, would be the equivilant of a 2nd-level druid's animal companion. A ranger may select from the alternative lists of animal companions just as a druid can, though again his effective druid level is half his ranger level. Thus he must be at least an 8th level ranger to select from the druid's list of 4th level animal companions, and if he chooses one of those animals, his effective druid level would be reduced by 3, to 1st level. Like a druid, a ranger cannot select an alternative animal if the choice would reduce his effective druid level below 1st. '''Spells Improved Combat Style (Ex) Woodland Stride (Ex) Swift Tracker (Ex) Evasion (Ex) Combat Style Mastery (Ex) Camouflage (Ex) Hide in Plain Sight (Ex) Alternative Class Features Distracting Attack A rangers Animal Companion isn't nearly as tough as a druid's, and thus works best as a scout or occasional flanker in combat. If your ranger would prefer to avoid the hassle of taking care of an animal companion, you can get some of the same benefit with the distracting attack alternative class feature. Though not as effective as an actual flanker, the ability to spread out your attacks to affect multiple enemies is a nice side effect. Level: 4th Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain an animal companion. Benefit: '''Beginning at 4th level, whenever you hit an enemy with a weapon attack (whether melee or ranged), that enemy is considered flanked by you for the purpose of adjudicating your allies' attacks. For example if your rogue ally attacked that enemy, not only would she gain a +2 bonus on her melee attack roll, but she could also add her sneak attack damage to a successful melee attack. This flanked condition lasts until either the enemy is attacks by one of your allies or until the start of your next turn, whichever comes first. This is an extraordinary ability. This ability has no effect on creatures that can't be flanked Phynxkin Companion A druid or ranger who adventions in regions rich with draconic influence can gain an alternative animal companion, a phynxkin , that serves him as loyally as any other animal companion would. '''Class: Druid or ranger Level: 1st (druid) or 4th (ranger) Replaces: '''If you select this class feature, you give up your standard choice of animal companion, and your animal companion does not gain all benefits normally accorded to it (see below). '''Benefit: You gan a phynxkin as an animal companion. Treat it as an animal for the purpose of determining the effects of your skills, feats, spells, and other abilities. When your phynxkin would normally gain the devotion special quality, both you and the phynxkin instead gain immunity to fear effects, but only while you are within 30 feet of each other. When your effective druid level for determining your animal companion's abilities reaches 7th, you can replace your animal companion with a dire phynxkin animal companion. Doing this reduces your effective druid evel for determining its abilities by six. Class Feature Varients Favored Enemy Varient: Favored Enviornment Instead of selecting a type of creature against which to apply a bonus on a certain skills and damage rolls, the ranger selects a specific natural enviornment and gains bonuses when in that enviornment. At 1st level, a ranger may select a natural enviornment from among those given on the following table. Due to the ranger's experience in that enviornment, he gains a +2 bonus on hide, listen, move silently, spot, and survival checks when using these skills in that enviornment. He also gains the same bonus on Knowledge (nature) checks made in association with that enviornment. (or on Knowledge dungeoneering checks made with underground enviornments, if the ranger has selected underground as a favored enviornment. At 5th level, and every five levels thereafter (at 10th, 15th, and 20th level), the ranger may select an additional favored enviornment from those given on the table and gains an identical bonus on the appropriate skill checks in that enviornment. In addition, at each such interval, the bonuses in any one favored entiornment (including the one just sellected, if so desired) increase by 2. For example, a 5th-level ranger has two favored enviornments. In one he has a +4 bonus on the appropriate skill checks and in the other he has a +2 bonus. At 10th level, he has three favored enviornments, and he gains an additional +2 bonus, which he can allocate to any of his three favored Enviornents. Thus his bonuses could be either +4, +4, and +2 or +6, +2, and +2. If the ranger chooses desert or forest, he must also choose a climate type, as indicated on the table (either "cold" or "temporate or warm" for desert, or "cold or temperate" or "warm" for Forest.) The DM may rule that a ranger can't select an enviornment that he has never visited. Ranger Variants Aquatic Rangers Rangers of the rivers and seas are often master sailors, expert in the use of watercraft both large and small. They paddle canoes through wild canyons, sail outriggers amid the coral reefs, or pilot skiffs along rocky coasts. Among aquatic folk, rangers are hunters and trackers who have become specialized in following their prey through the challenging medium of water. Sahuagin in particular make dangerous aquatic rangers. Class Features Track in Water: '''An aquatic ranger can follow a trail even across streams or underwater. Such terrain cannot hold tracks but the ranger uses faint scent traces and lingering disturbances in the water to follow the recent passage of his quary. Since water (especially if moving) quickly washes away the trail, the Survival DC modifier for tracking in water is +10. For each minute that passes since the trail was made, the DC also increases by 1 (or by 5 in flowing water). Tracking through rushing or stormy water is impossible, except to a character under the effect of a wake trailing spell '''Woodland Stride (Ex): '''A ranger who has a racial swim speed can choose to apply this ability to difficult aquatic terrain (shallow coral, kelp beds, ice-choked waters, and similar obsacles), rather than woodland terrain. This choice is made when the class feature is gained. Planar Ranger The planar ranger roams the multiverse instead of the wilderness, learning the secrets of the elemental planes, the glorious Seven Heavens, and the horrible Abyss Class Skills Eliminate Knowledge (Nature) and Knowledge (Dungeoneering) from the ranger's class skill list. Add Knowledge (the planes) and Speak Language (Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Celestial, Ignan, Infernal, Terran only) to the class skill list. Class Features '''Wild Empathy: A planar ranger takes no penalty on wild empathy checks made to influence magical beasts with the celestial or fiendish templates. However, he takes a -4 penalty when using this ability against animals. Animal Companion: A nonevil, planar ranger may have a celestial version of a normal animal as his animal companion. A nongood ranger may have a fiendish version of a normal animal as his animal companion. Spellcasting: 'A planar ranger's spellcasting ability is largely unchanged from that of a standard ranger, with one exception: Any ranger spell that normally affects animals also affects celestial or fiendish version of animals when caste by a planar ranger. Urban Ranger The urban ranger stalks the treacherous streets of the city, relying on his knowledge of allyways and underworld contacts to keep him alive. Class Skills Eliminate Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (Dungeoneering), and Survival from the ranger's class skill list. Add Gather Information, Knowledge (local), and Sense Motive to that class skill list. Class Features '''Animal Companion: '''An urban ranger cannot have an animal larger than Medium as his animal companion. '''Urban Tracking: '''An urban ranger does not gain the Track feat at 1st level. Instead, he gains the Urban Tracking feat, which allows him to use gather information to track down a missing person, suspect, or other individual within a community. '''Wild Empathy: '''An urban ranger adds only one-half his class level to wild empathy checks, reflecting his limited connection with the natural world. '''Favored Enemy: '''At the DM's discretion, an urban ranger may select an organization instead of a creature type as his favored enemy. For example, a character might select a particular thieves' guild, merchant house, or even the city guard. The favored enemy bonuses would apply to all members of the chosen organization, regardless of their creature type or subtype. '''Spellcasting: '''The urban ranger's spell list is different from the standard ranger list. The following spells are eleminated from the urban ranger's spell list: ''animal messenger, charm animal, detect animals or plants, speak with animals, bear's endurance, hold animal, snare, speak with plants, command plants, diminish plants, plant growth, reduce animal, tree shape, water walk, commune with nature, ''and ''tree stride. In exchange, the urban ranger adds the following spells to his class spell list. 1st-- comprehend languages, detect chaos / good / evil / law, detect secret doors, message; 2nd-- detect thoughts, knock, locate object, eagle's splendor; ''3rd-- ''discern lies, invisibility, speak with dead, tongues; ''4th-- ''dimensional anchor, locate creature, Mordenkainen's faithful hound, true seeing. '''Woodland Stride: '''An urban ranger does not gain this ability. '''Swift Tracker (Ex): '''Beginning at 8th level, an urban ranger may make a Gather Information check for his Urban Tracking feat every half hour without taking the normal -5 penalty. '''Camouflage: An urban ranger does not gain this ability. 'Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): ' An Urban Ranger can use this ability in any area, whether natural terrain or not. Waste Ranger Rangers of the waste are fierce protectors of their homeland. They are masters of desert camouflage and have adapted weaponry and tactics that mimic those of creatures that share their enviornment. Desert nomads are most likely to produce rangers, with a wandering lifestyle that prepares them for the role. Wasteland rangers select their animal companions from among those mentioned in the Wasteland Animal Companions. This variant ranger gains all the normall class features of the ranger, with the changes below. '''Heat Endurance: '''At 3rd level, a wasteland anger gains Heat Endurange as a bonus feat. If he already has Heat Endurance, the ranger gains Improved Heat Endurance instead and need not meet the prerequisites for that feat. This benefit replaces the standard ranger's Endurance bonus feat. '''Sandskimmer: '''At 7th level, a wasteland ranger gains Sandskimmer as a bonus feat. This benefit replaces the standard ranger's woodland stride class feature. '''Waste Hunter (Ex): '''At 10th level, a wasteland ranger chooses a specific kind of favored enemy native to the waste from among the types or subtypes he has already chosen. (For example, he could choose dunwinders if he has magical beasts as a favored enemy.) He gains an additional +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls, and on bluff listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks against creatures of this kind. In addition, the ranger gains a +2 on saves against the chosen creature's special abilities and damage reduction 2/-- against its physical attacks. This benefit replaces the new favored enemy gained at 10th level by a standard ranger, but the waste ranger's bonuses against previously selected favored enemies increase as if he had gained a new favored enemy. Category:Class Category:Basic Class Category:Players Handbook Category:Players Handbook II Category:Unearthed Arcana